Although black and Hispanic patients had higher blood pressures (BPs) than white patients at presentation, there were no race-ethnic disparities in 3-month functional outcome or mortality following intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), a recent study found. BPs in the field (emergency medical services), emergency department (ED), and at 24 hours were compared and adjusted for group differences in the Ethnic Racial Variations of Intracerebral Hemorrhage case-control study. They found:

• Of 2,069 ICH cases enrolled, 30% were white, 37% black, and 33% Hispanic.

• Black and Hispanic patients had higher emergency medical services (EMS) and emergency department (ED) systolic and diastolic BPs, compared with white patients.

• Although attenuated, at 24 hours after admission, black patients had higher systolic and diastolic BPs.

• Only ED systolic and diastolic BP was associated with poor functional outcome, and no BP predicted mortality.

Citation: Koch S, Elkind MSV, Testai FD, et al. Racial-ethnic disparities in acute blood pressure after intracerebral hemorrhage. [Published online ahead of print July 13, 2016]. Neurology. doi:10.1212/WNL.0000000000002962.